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| From | mkropp@comcast.net |
| Subject | Re: Greatest record store proprietor/clerk |
| Date | Mon, 15 May 2006 19:05:00 +0000 |
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<<Another "paragon" was Val Shively, who owned a record shop in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.>>
That store is still in operation as far as I know and his specialty is supposed to be 50's and 60's R&B. In the late 1980's I happened to be in that neighborhood and wandered in having heard so much about it over the years. I found out immediately that this was not really a browsing type of shop. Records were stacked everywhere. I couldn't grasp how the store was laid-out and was promptly chastised by whoever was at the desk for looking confused. I left right away and never looked back.
Two PA stores I would like to give the thumbs-up to:
1 - City Lights Records in State College, PA (Penn State). Greg Gabbard has owned the place since I was a student there (mid-80's) and he always has some cool stuff on the player there, lets you browse freely, is always willing to chat and recommend. Trivia - Doug Edmunds (from The Gladhands) worked there back in those days when he was a member of the local band The Seen.
2 - Shady Dog Records in Wayne, PA (near Philly). Dave Castleman and Mike Notaro run this cool neighborhood shop. They always have cool stuff on-hand and they are very knowledgable, especially with Blue Note/Riverside jazz. Lots of vinyl as well as discs.
Michael
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "David Bash" <bashpop@earthlink.net>
> With respect to record store clerks, I didn't have the same kind of bad
> experiences with Alan at Desershore as did Bill Holmes. When I first went
> there during the fall of '77, I must have impressed him by pointing out the
> virtues of some obscure record he liked, because from moment one I had a
> good rapport with him, and always looked forward to going there. I will
> admit that he was a bit socially awkward (I certainly was as well, which may
> have fortified our bond), and that might have led people to misinterpret
> some of his actions, but then again, if he was really condescending to
> customers without it being warranted, that's not cool...
>
> I guess it's just one of those cirumstances when if you meet someone at the
> wrong time it begats a very negative interaction, which leads to further,
> and often escalated, negative interactions...
>
> For the most part, the record store clerks of my past were very cool. I
> would count Phil Galloway of Off The Record in Encinitas as the coolest one
> I can think of now. When I used to go there in the mid '80s, as soon as I'd
> walk in he'd put something on and say "this is really Bashian", and 90% of
> the time he'd be right! Eventually we became very good friends, and he
> ended up moving to the Off The Record in San Diego, which he soon bought.
> (as a footnote, Phil is now involved with Reelin In The Years, the very
> lucrative and Grammy Nominated video archive company, who just released the
> Marvin Gaye "The Real Thing" DVD).
>
> I presently love hanging out at Freakbeat Records in Sherman Oaks, CA,
> mainly because the store owner, Bob Say, and his colleague Tom, are very
> cool people who are happy to shoot the breeze about music...and they're
> happy to play anything you're curious about. They extol the virtues of
> old-school record shops, which is great in my book.
>
> Ironically, the rudest record store clerks whom I encountered were generally
> people who owned the shop who happened to also work behind the counter. One
> of the worst was Norman Feinberg of Infinite Records in Manhattan. He was
> consdescending to every customer I ever saw there, me included, in ways
> somewhat similar to those Bill Holmes attributed to Alan of Desert Shore,
> but with a much more creative use of language. He seemed to be the ultimate
> misanthrope, but knew he could get away with it because he had an uncanny
> knack for procuring the rarest collectables anyone has ever seen (can you
> say "Original Indonesian Elvis Presley 10 inch??), and he knew people would
> put up with his BS if they really wanted his records. In accord, his prices
> were through the roof, but again, his philosophy was, "who cares if the
> whole world tells me to f**k off, as long as there's one person who will buy
> the record I'm trying to sell?". Because he was able to get the goods, he
> was able to get away with treating people like garbage. I eventually
> befriended his assistant Bruce Grossberg, and therefore had the (dis)
> pleasure of often being around Feinberg. I can tell you truckloads of
> hilarous, pathetic stories about him, but I'll spare you. :-)
>
> Another "paragon" was Val Shively, who owned a record shop in Upper Darby,
> Pennsylvania. He specialized in rare '50s 45s, but had a healthy amount of
> soft pop '60s singles which he really couldn't care less about. I really
> wanted those records, so I had to incur his barbs everytime I went there, as
> he thought that people who collected that stuff were lower than pond scum.
> I have to admit, on an objective level he was very funny, but I didn't find
> it funny when the abuse was heaped on me, which was often. One day I
> decided I'd had enough, and vowed never to go back as long as he was in the
> store...and I never have.
>
> Thank you for the opportunity to cleanse my soul! :-)
> --
> Pop Rules!!!!!
> Take Care,
> David
>
>
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